It takes time and patience to form a new habit, let alone to change your relationship with food. There will be a lot of barriers. Perhaps even some excuses. But once you move past those, the result can be wonderful. Most roadblocks to any change in behavior start with mindset (of course!).
It may not be easy but it will be worth it. You will need a plan and support. You may possibly even fail once, or more than once. But if you can learn and prepare for the 3 most common roadblocks to clean eating, you will set yourself up for success.
And ultimately, know that you have the strength to face these roadblocks head-on and bust right through them!
Clean Eating is Expensive
Well, I will agree with you on this a bit. Depending on where you live and where you shop, healthy foods and fresh produce do cost more than processed food. Crazy to think a hamburger from a drive-thru is cheaper than some fresh fruit at a local farmer’s market. Boy, does that tick me off! Fast food may seem a more affordable option but in the long run, what it does to the body cancels out any savings you may have experienced from that initial meal.
Here are a few of my favorite tips:
- Make weekly meal plans and learn to keep tabs on your budget. This will help you be conscious of your money, where it is being used.
- Buying foods from the bulk section will save you money.
- Try to cook more at home. It is found that people who cook and eat at home most of the time save 20-40%.
Lack of Time
Nowadays nobody has time for anything. But you have to make time to get time.
Our brains are good at making excuses, especially when you don’t want to do something.
If you are someone who has a 9 to 5 and after work you don’t have the strength to cook, then for you, I have got some tips:
- Use your Saturdays well. Thanks to technology, storing food is very easy. Plan out meals for the rest of the week and prepare everything or get everything ready-to-go in one place. Mark them with dates and store them.
- If you live with your family, make them part of your journey. Studies show you will be more likely to stick to a diet if you have some company or support.
- Learn to manage or be aware of your time. Try to block time to be super productive and then make time to relax and chill. Both are important.
“I can’t change my eating habit”
This is a notorious myth that somehow always manages to stop us from moving forward.
It’s really a fear: the fear of not be able to change or worse, not be able to do something perfectly (perfection, ugh! That’s a whole other topic for another day).
How can you move past this?
Reflect on what “success” means to you. Is it something achievable or you are way over your head and planning for something big to happen in a short amount of time (patience, grasshopper)?
Be very careful about your goals, a goal is not “I am going to lose 20 pounds in 7 days”, it is “I am going to stop eating junk food at night.”
And don’t think about doing everything perfectly. Really, don’t. You can’t be perfect all the time. Take one step at a time.
If you move past these barriers you will succeed. Expect rough patches along the way, no one is perfect, no matter how passionate they are about clean eating and health and wellness!
